Hosiery and the method of making it



May Z, 1939. E. RUCKEL 2,156,657

Hosmm AND THE mmnono MAKING IT I Filed Aug. 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E w -Ruc/(el M ATTORN Y y 2, 3 E. RUCKEL 2,156,657

HOSIERY AND THE METHOD OF MAKING 11 Filed Aug. 15, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. L rw in Ru c/f el BY m; ATTO NEY.

Patented May 2, 193 9 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,156,657 nosmmr AND THE METHOD or MAKING rr Erwin Buckel, Richmond mu, N. Y. Application August 13, 1938, Serial No. 224,668 5 Claims. (01.66-185) This invention relates to a new and useful inieprovement in hosiery and method of knitting the same and in particular to the construction oi the I heel tabs.

A comparatively recent development in the hosiery industry is the utilization of a standard full fashioned flat legger for knitting the leg and foot, of'a stocking as a unit, thus makingfa legger the substantial equivalent of a single unit machine, with the exception that the heel tabs are knit subsequently as a'separate operation.

When a legger is used in this way the last course of the high heels; is utilized as the anchorage for the first course of the,sole portions lying on each side of the instep. However, since the first course'of each sole-portion must 'ultimately be joined to the side of the corresponding heel tab; the sole portions must be severedcfrom the highs-heels, whichinvolvs the destruction of those portions of the first two or three courses directly below the ends of thehigh heels, with the exception of a few loops at the inner corners,v

Because of the elimination from the finished stocking of these severing courses and the inclusion of the remaining portions of the same courses in the instep, it is inevitable that a pucker willoccursat the inner corners just mentioned which impairs theappearance of the stocking in a conspicuous place and imposes excessive strain-upon the loops of the heel tabs at this point.

' One of the objects of this invention is to replace 4 i the partial courses lost by severing with other courses so that the pucker'referred to will be 'eliminated and also to supply in certain constructions which will be hereinafter described, a course or courses which will insure neat and durable joining of the heel tabs and sole portions.

To' 'illustrate the inventiori the fabrics shownin the drawings have been chosen: a

Figure 1 illustrates part of the leg 'and' the foot 'of a stocking blank knit as a unit upon the tent; 1

Figure 4 is a view of the stocking blank illus-.

trating further progress in the knitting of the sole portions and heel tab and the'joining of it to-the corresponding sole portion; F

completed and joined to the sole; and

Figure 6 is a view of the completed foot and the adjacent part of the leg. I

As stated, Figure 1 shows the leg I andioot 2 Figure 5 is a similar view after the heel tab is of a stocking assumed to have been knit as a unit upon a legger. The sole portions 8 are joined to the high heels 4 by severing courses 5. (The fact t at in a well "proportioned stocking the foot where it joins the leg is wider than theleg and the methods by which this extra width may be obtained have been ignored, since it forms no part of this invention, although the invention is applicable to stockings of that character.) As already --,generally explained, these e severing courses 5 are in reality the outer portions of full courses which extend all the way across the stocking blank and elsewhere (i.e., inside of the points 6) form apermanent part of the fabric.

Before the high heel and sole portions are severed the last course of the high heelsand the first real course of the sole portions are topped onto a double topping stand. Then the high heels maybe separated from the sole portions by cutting the fabric along severing courses 5.

Then the last course of the high heels 4 and the first course of the sole portions 5 maybe swung into alinement and placed upon the needlesf r:

of a suitable machine for producing the heel tabs as shown in'Figure 2.-

Heretofore, the heel tabs have been knit to the ends of the high heels 4 only and the sides later joined directlyto the ends oi the soles, either quent'production of the'undesirable puckers recently mentioned adjacent the inner ends 6 of the severing courses 5. By this invention, as shown in Figure 2, the first course 8 of each heel tab 9 is hot confined to the heel tab, as is the usual practice, but extends completely across not only the end of the high heel, but also across the first course of the corresponding sole portion 3. This extended course may be followed by other courses of similar extent to a number presumably, but not necessarily equal to the severing courses lost in severing the sole portions from the high heels 4. The last of these heel tab extension courses 6 may then be joined to the side of the heel tab 9 by any of the methods usually employed in joining the ,end of the sole to the side of the heel tabs, with- "the result that the undesirable puckers are eliminated.

This invention is particularly useful in knitting hosiery of the construction disclosed by my co-pending application Serial No. 206,512, filed May '1, 193s, in which tn .diflicult operation or double topping the last (gburse of the high heels running. This permits the course following the run-stop course and which constitutes the first real course of the sole to be topped in a hit and miss manner without regard to whether every sinker loop is topped upon a topping point.

Since, in this fabric the severing courses ll required for run-proofing, although they remain, are, nevertheless, excluded from the fiat fabric proper, the discrepancy between the number oi courses in the high heel 4 and sole portions 3, as compared with the instep portions, is increased and the pucker adjacent the inner'end of the v the heel tabs is knit a'cross not only the heel tab,

joined to the side of the heel tabs, and, consesevering courses correspondingly aggravated.

By this invention this defect can be eliminated by extending across the sole a sufiicient' number of the initial courses of the heel tabs as described above, to compensate not only-for the last severing course, but also for the courses forming the run-stop II, the last extension course being, as before, the course by which the sole portion is joined to the side of the corresponding heel tab. This is also shown in Figure 2, which, as stated, illustrates the fabric after the soles 3 and high heels 4 have been severed, the last course 01' the high heels and the first real course of the sole portions topped and swung into alinement and placed :upon the needles of the machine which knits the heel tabs. The first course 8 or proper, but, as described above, is extended across the first sole course. This course may be -followed by additional courses of similar extent,

if desired, to compensate for the courses destroyed by severing and for the run-stop, the. last heel tab extension course 8 of this character being the course which is joined to the side of the heel tabs. 7

As already generally stated, the sole portion and heel tabs may be joined after the heel tabs have been completed, or they may be joined pro gressively with the knitting of the heel tabs.

When the latter method is employed, the first course of the heel tabs is knit and then the loops ,0! the first course of the sole portions are transferred outward by one needle so that the loop.

adjacent the inner'edge of each heel tab will be pe posed upon the innermost loop of the heel tab course, and'will be incorporated in the fabric in that position by the knitting of the next course of the heel tab. 1

When the second course of the heel tabs is knit, the remaining loops of the first course of the sole portions are again transferred outward by one needle for the same purpose, and with the same result, and so on, until the, heel tabs are completed, which also completes'the joining of them with the sole portions.

$ince there are many courses in the heel tabs and the first course of loops of the sole portions has to be transferred ,as escribed after the knitting of each heel tab cour' e, a great deal of wear and strain is imposed u n these solepoition loops, so that it is inevitable that they become seriously weakened. Byv thepresent invention this diiliculty is eliminated. As already explained, the heel tab extension course 8 in Figure 2 is the-course by which-the sole portions are quently, would be subject to the wear and tear number of l ops 8a of the extension course I joined thereto, another heel tab extension course l2 may be knit across the heel tab proper 9 and also across the remaining loops of the extension course 8. This new heeltab extension course, which is composed of fresh unworn loops, then becomes the course to be joined progressively to the side of the heel tabas the heel tab courses are knit. After, say, one half of the heel tab courses are knit and joined'to the corresponding sole courses, as shown at Na in Figure 4, another heel tabextension course l3 may be knit across the heel tab and also across the remaining loops l2b of extension course I2. This heel tab extension course 13 takes the place of course I2 as thecourse which is joined to the remaining courses of the heel tabs as they are knit to complete the heel tab and its joining to its sole portion, as shown in Figure 5. Any desired number of such heel tab extension courses may be em.- ployed to supply a fresh and unimpaired anchorage for the corresponding courses of the heel .tabs. In this way a very serious detect, which responding sole portions and means by which each heel tab is Joined to the corresponding sole portion, consisting of a plurality of spaced courses of loops each Textending across said heel tab and also from the inner edge of said heel tab to the outer edge ofsaid sole portion.

2. The method of knitting a stocking which consists of knitting the leg and foot portions as a unit, subsequently knitting a heel tab to the end of each high, heel, the first course of each heel tab being extended to the outer edge of the corresponding sole portion and subsequently joining said sole portion to said heel tab by means of said extended course.

3. The method of knitting a stocking which consists of knitting the leg and foot portions as a unit, subsequent ly knitting a heel tab to the end of each high heel, extending a plurality of heel tab courses from. the inner edge of the heel tab to the outer edge of the corresponding sole portion and joining said heel tab and sole portion by means of said extended courses.

4. The method of knitting a stocking which consists of knitting the leg and foot portions as a unit, subsequently knitting a heel tab to the end of each high heel. extending a plurality of spaced heel tab courses to the outer edge of the corresponding sole portion and joining the sole portion to the heel tab by meansof said extended courses progressively course by course with the 

